Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Paul Ladue skated in 27 games for Grand Forks Central HS in North Dakota as a junior. He scored 10 goals with 25 assists and had 18 penalty minutes. Central finished first in the East Region and were state champions; finishing with a 24-3 record. Ladue was selected by Lincoln in the 16th round (226th overall) of the 2010 USHL Entry Draft.

2010-11: Ladue joined the NAHL’s Alexandria Blizzard, foregoing his senior season at Grand Forks Central to play junior hockey. He skated in 56 of 58 games for the Blizzard and scored 3 goals with 19 assists and 58 penalty minutes. Ladue’s plus-18 plus/minus was second on the Blizzard behind Thomas Williams (+26). Alexandria finished first in the NAHL Central Division. Ladue played in three playoff games in the five-game series with Bismarck and was minus-two with 2 assists and 2 penalty minutes. Ladue was identified as a “Player to Watch” by Central Scouting but was not selected in the 2011 NHL Draft in his second year of eligibility.

2011-12: Ladue played for the USHL’s Lincoln Stars and committed to playing college hockey at North Dakota in 2013-14. In 56 games for the Stars he led all Lincoln defensemen with 9 goals and had 25 assists; finishing plus-36 with 27 penalty minutes. Lincoln finished first in the West Division and reached the USHL playoff semifinals. In 8 playoff games Ladue was plus-two with 1 goal, 2 assists and 2 penalty minutes. Not among the 210 North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft, he was selected by Los Angeles in the sixth round (181st overall).

2012-13: LaDue was named the USHL’s Defenseman of the Year following his second season with Lincoln. He led Stars defensemen in scoring with 12 goals and 37 assists in 62 regular season games and was +27 with 20 penalty minutes. The Stars finished fourth in the Western Conference and lost to Sioux Falls in a first-round playoff series. LaDue scored 1 goal with 1 assist and was an even plus/minus in five playoff games.

2013-14: LaDue was named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference all-rookie team following his freshman season at North Dakota. He scored 6 goals with 15 assists and was +15 with 23 penalty minutes. North Dakota finished second to St. Cloud State in the newly-formed NCHC; losing to Miami, 3-0, in the NCHC semifinals but earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Midwest Regional with a win in the league’s third-place game. The Fighting Sioux defeated Wisconsin and Ferris State to win the regional; falling to Minnesota 2-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals on a goal in the game’s final second. LaDue scored a goal against Western Michigan in the NCHC third-place game, had 1 assist vs. Wisconsin and had 2 assists against Ferris State in post-season play.

2014-15: LaDue skated in 41 of 42 games for the University of North Dakota in his sophomore season. Frequently paired with senior Nick Mattson (Chicago), he scored 5 goals with 17 assists and was +7 with 31 penalty minutes. The Fighting Sioux finished first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular season, falling 3-1 to St. Cloud State in the NCHC semifinals and 5-1 to Denver in the third-place game. North Dakota received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, defeating Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State by identical 4-1 scores to capture the NCAA West Regional before falling 5-3 to Boston University in the Frozen Four semifinals.

2015-16: LaDue is in his junior season at the University of North Dakota. Overshadowed by offensive-minded defensemen Troy Stecher and Tucker Poolman (Winnipeg) on the blueline for the Fighting Sioux, he has the top plus/minus amongst defensemen on one of the nation’s top teams.

Talent Analysis

LaDue, skating for the same college program as Kings' 2010 first round pick Derek Forbort (North Dakota), arrived in Grand Forks with a lot less fanfare but has been an impact player in his first two seasons with the Fighting Sioux. He has an excellent all-around game, particularly on the offensive side of the puck. LaDue skates and moves the puck well and has a nice shot to go along with it. He could still improve upon his defensive zone play and pack on muscle but he has adjusted facets of his game quickly and successfully to adapt to higher levels of competition.

Future

LaDue is in his junior season at the University of North Dakota in 2015-16. A strong two-way defenseman who can control the play with his skating and contribute to the attack, he has been a big part of the Fighting Sioux' success under first-year head coach Brad Berry. An assistant captain, LaDue's game is close to NHL-ready but with the depth in the Kings' system he may use his final year of college eligibility in 2016-17.

Photo: LA Kings prospect Michael Amadio is engaged in a tough second-round playoff series but the veteran OHL player might still will his team to a comeback (courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

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The Los Angeles Kings are into the NHL postseason, facing the San Jose Sharks in what should be one of the best first-round series. The Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, have clinched their division and are also into the postseason. The Kings also have had players with amazing junior seasons – Spencer Watson and Michael Amadio in particular – and can boast of one with an NCAA national title (Paul LaDue). Read more»

Photo: The University of North Dakota strikes the traditional championship pose after defeating Quinnipiac University by a 5-1 score in the title game of the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four (courtesy of John Crouch/Icon Sportswire)

The University of North Dakota claimed their eighth NCAA National Championship and first since 2000 with a convincing 5-1 win over Quinnipiac University on Saturday night in the title game of the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four. Read more»

Photo: NCHC conference rivals Drake Caggiula (L) of the University of North Dakota and Tanner Jaillet (R) of the University of Denver renew acquaintances in the semi-finals of the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four (courtesy of Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

While the early semi-final match of the 2016 NCAA Frozen Four features a pair of eastern hockey powers, the second game spotlights a pair of NCHC rivals as the University of Denver takes on the University of North Dakota. Read more»

Photo: Kings prospect Matt Roy’s growth over the course of his sophomore season has helped make the Michigan Tech Huskies one of the nation’s stingiest defensive squads (courtesy of Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

Photo: LA Kings top prospect Adrian Kempe plays an advanced pro game despite being still just 19 years old (courtesy of Lee Calkins)

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The Los Angeles Kings system remains robust in role players, grinders, and two-way defensemen. This has always seemed to be the case. However, the organization is starting to see a nice evolution from a few players within the system. When you have so few high end picks, you have to hope for the growth of the Mersch’s, the Dowd’s, and the Auger’s of the pipeline to come through for you in filling in the gaps. While some of these players are in the very nascent stages of their careers and development paths, they are starting to rise just like the development team had hoped.